


helpless

by delimeful



Series: October 2019 Prompts [11]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Driders, Fear, Friendship, Gen, Injury, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Spiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28461681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delimeful/pseuds/delimeful
Summary: Virgil stumbles into some trouble in his forest, and then someone new stumbles into him.-Written for hiddendreamer's February prompt list! Day 1: Ideal
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: October 2019 Prompts [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533644
Comments: 16
Kudos: 155





	helpless

As a drider, Virgil was well aware that he should stay well _away_ from the nearby human town, unless he wanted a bounty on his head and adventurers near and far coming to claim it. His capacity for human interaction was already strained whenever he rebuffed any advances into his woods made by ambitious explorers or lost travelers by gently scaring them back in the direction of society.

Well. _He_ thought it was gentle, but apparently the townsfolk had been telling stories, because today he ventured near the edge of the woods to gather plants, and now he was here. Three of his spider legs were stuck in three separate steel-toothed traps, because having to get rid of just one leg wasn’t bad enough, no, of course they’d left more snap traps sitting around for him to recoil into like an idiot. 

He carefully avoided putting any pressure on his trapped legs as he peered around to make sure he wasn’t about to set off anymore, because those things hurt like a bitch. 

Behind him, a twig snapped underfoot.

He twisted around best he could, his front legs springing up in a threat display and his throat forming a spitting hiss. He was forced to drop back down a moment later, because his second left leg was one of the ones trapped, and he had automatically twitched in an attempt to raise it anyways, the motion sending agonizing pain through him. 

Before him, a human stood, shaking like a leaf. His soft brown eyes were locked on his spider half, pupils shrunk with fear. He wasn’t a hunter, at least. Not with that attitude. 

But he’d be going to get the hunters, and then Virgil’d really be fucked if he didn’t get over himself and tear his legs off already. Sure, it’d be agonizing and maybe he’d bleed to death, but would humans really give him any better?

“Relax,” he finally grumbled, tired of watching the stranger tremble, “I’m not going to eat you. I can’t even move, see?” 

He gestured to his legs, which were technically a majority free, but whatever. Wait, had he just implied that he _would_ eat the human if he was free? Shit, he was so bad at this social interaction thing. This was why he lived alone in the woods, dammit!

The human jerked his head up to meet his gaze, as though surprised he could talk. “You’re not a giant spider,” he said, voice tremulous but almost… relieved?Virgil leaned back as far as he could, hoping the guy wasn’t about to have a mental break. 

“Uh, I’m like, at least _half_ a giant spider,” he corrected, because he was incapable of keeping his stupid mouth shut, apparently. 

“But that means you’re also at least half not a spider,” the human replied firmly, never letting his eyes drift below torso level. “So it’s… fine! Everything’s fine!” 

He also ignored the way his voice cracked, instead dropped into a crouch to search the ground near him. After a moment, he perked up, and turned back to Virgil with a large, blocky stone in hand. 

Virgil couldn’t help but hunch down and curl his free legs in towards him, a strangled whine leaving him as his injured legs tugged at the traps. His breathing got shallower, wondering if he could get away on five legs. Humans only had two, it couldn’t be that hard, right? Unless the humans followed the blood trail he’d undoubtedly leave behind. 

The human took a step forward, brow crinkling, and Virgil’s resolve broke as another tug at his legs send a fresh wave of pain through him. “Oh spirits, please don’t stone me. Come on, just go get someone with a sword, it’ll be done so much faster. I- I haven’t hurt anyone, I swear!”

The human stopped short, which was weird because Virgil hadn’t expected pleading to work. “I– stone you?” He looked at the rock in his hand like he’d never seen it before. “No, no, I’m trying to help you! This is f- for breaking open the traps, not by killing you!”

That was ridiculous. Virgil uncurled slightly anyways, because he’d never learned when to stop hoping. “What? Why?” 

The human looked at him as though he was the crazy one. “Because you’re in pain and you need help?” He took another step forwards, hands lifted peacefully. Virgil resisted the urge to hiss another warning, unconvinced. 

“Most humans would be putting an arrow through my skull right now,” he replied, “so I don’t really see how me being weak and vulnerable explains your sudden mercy.” 

The human frowned. “Well, I have different ideals than ‘most humans,’ then. You deserve sympathy as much as anyone, even if you do have quite a few m- more legs than most.” 

He was nearly at the first trap now, putting him well in range of Virgil if he decided to grab him with arms or legs. His legs were visibly shaking, his eyes a little too wide, but he kept approaching anyways. Virgil exhaled slowly. 

“Fine. Do what you want.”

“I will,” the human answered brightly. He mumbled encouraging words to himself as he wrestled with the mechanism, finally springing it open with one last hit from the stone. Virgil pulled his bleeding leg to himself automatically with a wince, and dragged some silk webbing with his fourth leg to carefully and quickly wrap the bleeding injury. 

Below him, surrounded by spider limbs, the human had frozen with careful breaths until Virgil was still once more. “One down!” he uttered shakily.

The other two followed in much the same way, and though he was still feeling pain, his carapace was thick enough that he thought the wounds might heal over properly by his next molt. He owed this human all three legs, at this point.

“There we go!” the human cheered, taking a few respectful-maybe-fearful strides back to give him space. Behind him, something glinted in the sun.

Virgil acted on impulse, his body moving before his brain could catch up. His front legs jumped out to catch the human and pull him in with a yank, and then he reached down and lifted him right off the ground easily by the armpits. 

The human yelped, squirming in his hold, and he resisted the very spider urge to squish him against his chest until he quit wiggling. “Sorry, sorry! You’re okay, I’ve got you, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“ _Whahuh!?_ ” the human asked shrilly, round glasses slightly askew. He looked much softer, close up like this.

“You… um, you were about to walk into one of those traps,” Virgil explained, angling himself so they could see the metal glinting in the leaves. “I’m pretty sure humans can’t grow legs back, so…”

The human was silent for another stunned moment, and then turned to look at him properly. “Thank you so much,” he said, eyes shiny with awe. 

Virgil immediately felt embarrassed. “You’re the one who saved me, you don’t have to thank me…” 

The human chuckled. “I guess that means now we’re even! Oh gosh, I still don’t know your name after all this! I’m Patton,” he offered Virgil a toothy grin. 

“Um, Virgil,” he returned, still slightly off balance. He’d never gotten to exchange names with a human like this. “And I think I still owe you two more leg saves before we’re even.” 

Another one of those goofy, wholehearted laughs. Virgil carefully began to navigate between the trees, watching the ground. Once he finally deemed the area clear, he picked up the pace, darting over the ground. It was stilted with his injuries, but he could manage.

“Where are we going?” Patton asked, apparently content to dangle like a cat as they traveled. He’d only glanced down at Virgil’s legs once before losing a bit of color and keeping his gaze firmly on Virgil’s face. 

“Back to the town,” he answered. “That’s where you live, right?” 

“Oh,” Patton said, almost disappointed. “I thought maybe we were going to hang out a bit longer. You’re much friendlier than most of the folk in town.” 

Wow. The townspeople must really suck if they weren’t being nice to a guy as sweet as this. Virgil chewed on his lip, debating with himself for a moment, but… if Patton had treated him so kindly while he was mostly helpless, there was no real reason to mistrust him. 

“I… do still technically owe you two more saves,” he said, voice faltering. “I should sleep now, but if you… wanted to come visit. That would be cool, I guess.” 

Pattton brightened, and Virgil found himself hoping it would be the first of many smiles he’d get to see. 


End file.
